We are well on our way to finishing the year but not before out yearly Christmas events. This year we have many exciting events that we welcome everyone to partake in.

Building Houses for the Homeless – With Snow!

This year we have decided to do something different. We are inviting families to attend our building houses for the homeless with snow event where you pay an entry fee and partake in building a snow house, or any other monument of your choosing. We will provide decorations so that you can make your snow house as good as you possibly can. We will also be providing hot chocolate and cookies, with tea and coffee available for the adults.

We think that this will encourage more participation from the community and offer a change from the traditional. Entry fee will be set at $25 per family. This will cover our expenses with $20 left over to donate towards homes for the homeless.

We are now looking for volunteers to help run the event so please register your interest before December 10th.

Treasure hunt

We have decided the kids needs a break. We are going to hold a treasure hunt for kids aged 4 to 10 years old on 15 December. We ask parents to donate candy and toys (used toys are fine) so that we can use them as treasures. This will be a small event of around 25 children, so register your interest now so that you can get a place. This is a free event.

Working with your Hands

Another first this year, we are having a demonstration from a woodwork professional on how to work with your hands. This is an open invitation and will include a light afternoon snack, followed by the demonstration and a quick question and answer time.

This is ideal for those that say they know nothing about handy work and is suitable for beginners. Entry will be $5 per person.

Market Stalls

This year, we will be gathering in the community hall and holding a market stall. This is the time for you to show what you’ve got! We have spots for up to 100 stalls, and ideally are looking for things to sell, be it knitted goods, baked goods or something else. We will take a 10% commission from anything you make, and a stall is $150.

We are also looking beyond sales. If you have a new idea or interesting collection, why not show it off? This is your chance to get the community involved in anything that you are passionate about!

If you are interested in having you own stall, make sure you register now.

You’ve been asking us for a while about how the progress of Manor Hill is going. It’s been a challenge gathering together resources in a community with limited funding from the government. Joan, the project manager, said yesterday that after being at a standstill for so long, progress is well underway and will set to be finished in August. She thanked everyone for their patience and assistance.

There is still several bits left to make the building complete. There is still several jobs left to complete to ensure the project is successfully completed on time. Joan has requested us to post the following on our website to help meet strict deadlines.

Seeking anyone with an electric chainsaw

We are looking for electric chainsaws ONLY – be aware Manor Hill has been a project of environmentalism. The community is actively doing it’s best the preserve the surrounding area and to create a safe and environmentally friendly spot. The team has been following the latest Green Tips and we hope that all future projects will involve this level of protection.

Stay out of Mayson’s Pond

For an disclosed amount of time, Mayson’s Pond will remain closed. Local authorities have claimed that the water is unsafe due to torrential downpour in the area and it will not risk the safety of the community by advising swimming. If you are looking for a spot to swim this summer to escape the heat, nearby Surrey Hill Reserve is another option. Be mindful that due to the shifting weather patterns, other reserves may close without warning. Also bring plenty of fresh water with you. Authorities have already responded to 22 cases of heat stroke this summer.

Join us for a final fundraiser

We will have one last fundraiser to secure funding for the final touches of Manor Hill. There will be raffle tickets and a rap off by local children. Entry will be $5 paid prior to entering the office (cash only) and the raffle tickles will cost $1 each of 10 for $5. Please join us!

First off, we would like to thank everyone for their support this year. We had a fantastic turn out and received enough donations to get us through another year. If you did not attend this years equestrian event, be sure to sign up to our mailing list so that you know when we will be holding our next one.

This years winner was Michelle Spencer. She is a first time competitor and therefore winner and did a fantastic job finishing in a record time. Stan Burger spoke to Michelle after shortly after her win, and she was happy to answer a few questions. You can read these below.

Congratulations… how are you feeling right now?

I am full of energy. It must be the adrenaline pumping through my body. I am so thankful to everyone that support me this year and I can’t put into words how happy I am to have won.

Who exactly are you thankful towards?

My husband has supported my interest in horses and I have spent many weekends away from home training. I am very grateful for his support. My dad is also an avid horse enthusiastic and rider and I suppose I am grateful towards him for sharing his passion with me and exposing me to horses when I was quite young.

How long have you been training?

As I said I have been riding horses since I was quite young. I first started when I was about 7 years old, but I did not do anything advanced until I was about 16. All up, my equestrian training is about 10 years. This has been on and off though and it is not like riding a bike. You really need to be comfortable with what you are doing otherwise you won’t push yourself to your limit.

Was the competition this year difficult?

I do not know about other years, but this year the competition was very difficult. There were a lot of fantastic riders some who I know personally. I want to thank Sara Cooper for her assistance this year and want to give her a big shout out. She was a fantastic rider this year and I wish her the best of luck next year.

Have you ever been involved in an equestrian competition before?

Yes. I used to live in California and was a member of a club out there that would regularly schedule competitions. They never had the turnout of this one though. I was very impressed to see the amount of people here and it was great to see how welcoming they were of my family. I had also never won before, and I felt that I did them proud.

Will we be seeing you next year?

Absolutely! I had an excellent time this year and will be training hard to improve my own skill next year. I think the guys know they are in for some competition, so everyone will be training hard this year ready for another event.

Any advice for those who are just starting out?

Yes. Be patient. Practice. Do not do more than you are able to do. It can be tempting to want to push yourself beyond your limits, but with horse riding you must be careful. It can be dangerous but incredibly rewarding. Also, ensure you work on your relationship with your horse. It is just as important that they like you as you like them.

Congratulations and best of luck in the future Michelle.

Thank you.

Be sure to keep updated with events this year to continue to support the local community. If you are not yet signed up to our mailing list, please sign up here.

After the success of Thanksgiving events, the Christmas events for 2016 has changed. We will be running two workshops, one on Linux and one for those hoping to improve their skills on computers. These workshops will be run on the 19th and 20th respectively. We have all our main businesses attending the function to give a talk on what their businesses do and to offer on going support for those that need it. These guys are experts in their field so this is the perfect opportunity for anyone that wants to discuss what they do and what they are planning for in the future.

The first event will start with a talk by Greg Norman and who will provide a background on what he has been doing for the last year in relation to Linux. If you are unfamiliar with Linux, check out their website here. Because talks like this fill up fast, register your interest now on the contact page to ensure you get a seat. This will be followed by a light lunch, where you can feel free to discuss with Greg any queries you may have.

The second event we will be holding will be a workshop on how to fix speed up your computer. We have had countless people from the community request a workshop like this, and although for some it may be an easy fix, there are those among us that are older (and wiser) and need this advice. Please note that the workshop will focus only on Microsoft computers, Vista and older, so we apologize to anyone with a Mac. There is no need to register your interest, but feel free to do so.

That is it for 2016. We hope you have had a wonderful year and can’t wait to start the New Year. We have plenty of things planned for 2017, including further updates on Manor Hill and other community initiatives that we have been working on. Thank you for all your support this year, and I wish you all the very best.

It has been a tough month for our workers at Manor Hill, transforming the course to become one of the communities best golf courses in the area. Our team have been doing endless amounts of research and I am sure they will agree with me when I say this has not been an easy feat. The team have been researching what makes the most popular golf courses around the world so great, and have taken specific inspiration from Cypress Point Club.

Some of their research has included just how many holes to offer players. Although this seems like an easy task it has involved extensive surveying of the area and a balancing of the amount of holes the land can offer without taking away the land that is required to play. Workers have also had to decide on important decisions such as where to place sand dunes, various types of hazards and other obstacles on the course. The amount of research required for such judgements is rather extensive and I congratulate the team on their work and findings.

There has been even more research going on too, ensuring we have the most advanced golf course, with the team researching sites so that the community will have the best golf rangefinder and the most advanced technology that is currently offered. As most will know, members will have free use of rangefinders at the course and so will not require their own. The team has decided that the Bushnell Pro X7 is the best golf rangefinder for our course, and have ordered it in bulk.

There is plenty more to be done, and we are thankful for the communities patience and involvement in this process. We will provide another update in a few months to keep the community informed of how things are going. If you can, feel free the pay a visit and check out the work that has already been completed.

The 24 of November is quickly approaching us and we have two major events happening this Thanksgiving. We would love the communities involvement in planning, carrying out and participating in the events this year. We had a great turn out last Thanksgiving and are hope to maintain the success of last year.

Based on the success of our last Fun Run, we are holding another one. The Fun Run will be a 2 mile long run (or walk) and all families are invited. There will be four check, a checkpoint at every 0.5 miles, and at each check point you will provided water. This a great opportunity for the the whole family to encourage the whole family to get outside and keep fit, and with the great weather we are having, why not make use of it!

We are holding another event this Thanksgiving. We know how much everyone enjoyed last years Help the Tree’s event, so following the advice of the American Community Garden, we are running it again! You can help us to maintain the quality of our parkland by putting on some gloves and coming along. We are also looking for someone with an electric mower as our old gas one recently broke. We are hoping to get the job done quickly but even help pulling out weeds will be appreciated. Our aim is to clean up the area for current and future preservation. We will also be holding a market and selling local crafts and foods, and a jumping castle will be provided to keep the kids entertained. For anyone that has wanted to play a role in the community, now is the time.

We are looking forward to seeing you there and celebrating another great year.

ACT meets as a group on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 7pm to discuss and coordinate Altadena Crest Trail explorations and flagging sessions. Check the mailing list archives for agendas and minutes, and subscribe to the mailing list to keep up on news!

Please join us for our annual Christmas Breakfast Ride on Sunday, December 11 at the Hahamongna ETI staging area! For more details contact us by mail or by phone at 626_644_4112.

County Supervisor Mike Antonovich sponsored a ride on June 13 on La Canada and Pasadena trails. Thanks Mike for coming to our neighborhood!

ASPCA published some photos and descriptions of plants toxic to horses here.

ETI Corral 2 promotes horsemanship and safe, enjoyable riding. Based in the west San Gabriel Valley, we are involved with trail-related issues such as equestrian access, trail maintenance, and equine advocacy.

Current issues include the Arroyo Seco Master Plan, closure of Ernie Debs Park to equestrian use, Altadena Crest Trail and other trail issues in that area, and the San Gabriel River Corridor Master Plan. Our ongoing projects include representing the equestrian community with local governments including the Cities of Pasadena and South Pasadena.

We have an open email list for equestrian related topics, and do occasional surface mailings to our ETI members.

Our general meeting is the second Thursday of the month. Recent meetings have been held at Burger Continental on Lake Street in Pasadena.

ETI is a national organization founded in 1944. Corral 2, founded in 1948, is the oldest active chapter in the organization, and we are proud of our long history of service to the equestrian community.